Australian surfer Ryan Hipwood captured the first stop of the Second Annual Nixon WTA, which just wrapped in Tahiti. Nixon is pleased to announce Ryan took home the prize for riding the heaviest wave at Teahupoo during the first round trials of the Billabong Pro.
Ryan clenched the victory early in the game during the first round of trials when he dropped late into one of the few 8-foot set waves that surged at the usually heavy Tahitian reef break of Teahupoo.
“Teahupoo has definitely seen heavier waves but Ryan was lucky to be in the right place at the right time,” states Nixon’s Director of Marketing, Chad DiNenna. “With no hesitation, he pulled into what ended up being one of the biggest waves of this year’s event.”
For his efforts, Ryan was awarded a custom, limited edition Nixon 51-30 tide watch with a gunmetal finish and a custom-engraved WTA case back. The watch also features diamond baguette indices and the Tahitian flag at the 3 o’clock position to commemorate the event at Teahupoo. This one-of-a-kind timepiece is valued at over $10,000 USD.
Video of Ryan’s winning wave can be viewed at www.BillabongPro.com along with content of each of the three upcoming stops.
ABOUT THE NIXON WTA
The Nixon WTA is a winner-take-all event which awards custom, limited edition Nixon timepieces to one person at each of four different stops along the ASP World Tour. The 2008 WTA challenges include: heaviest wave at Teahupoo, Tahiti, in May; highest heat score at Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa, in July; longest tube in Mundaka, Euskadi, in late September; and the overall Triple Crown winner on the North Shore of Oahu in December.
ABOUT NIXON
Founded in 1997 in Encinitas, CA, Nixon is the premium accessories company for the youth lifestyle market. Focused on making the little stuff better, Nixon’s line of watches and accessories can be found globally in specialty surf, skate, snow and fashion retailers.